Sealing arrangement for pressurized gas or vapour containers for material webs which are to be continuously treated

ABSTRACT

A sealing means which includes a main roller having a portion of its cylindrical area positioned adjacent to an aperture in a tank which holds a fluid (either liquid or vapor) which is to be applied to a web of material as it passes through the tank and over the main roller. An endless elastic sealing strip is positioned on the main roller and surrounds the aperture, providing a fluid seal. The sealing strip is held in position by a cylindrical channel which is secured to the tank. Additional rollers may be used to enter the material into the tank and reverse its direction.

[111 3,808,845 [451 May 7,1974

United States Patent [191' Lopata PRESSURIZED GAS OR VAPOUR Primary Examiner-Billy J. Wilhite CONTAINERS FOR MATER w s Assistant Examiner-Philip R. Coe

WHlCH A To B CONTINUOUSLY Attorney, Agent, or Firm-JamesM. l-ieilman; Wm. O. TREATED Heilman; Anthony J. Casella Inventor:

[ SEALING ARRANGEMENT FOR Karl Peter Lopata, Krefeld, Germany T C m T s B A H U. .m n a D. m 0 C e .nm m r. 06 MG mm 6 m kH Kb m we a e n .w a A H U [22] Filed: July 3, 1972 A sealing means which includes a main roller having a portion of its cylindrical area positioned adjacent to 268818 an aperture in a tank which holds a fluid (either liquid or vapor) which is to be applied to a web of material as it passes through'the tank and over the main roller.

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 27, 1971 An endless elastic sealing strip is positioned on the.

German 2142926 I main roller and surrounds .the aperture, providing a 52 us. Cl. 68/5 E, 34/242 fluid ML The Sealing Strip is held in Position by a 51 Im. B05cll/115 lindmal channel which i secured to the tfink; f [58] 68/5 E; 34/242 tional rollers may be nsed to enter the material into the tank and reverse its direction.

Field of Search..........................

.References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 17 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEUI'AY 7 I914 Fig. 2

6 Il M all SEALING ARRANGEMENT FOR PRESSURIZED GAS OR VAPOUR CONTAINERS FOR MATERIAL WEBS WHICH ARE TO BE CONTINUOUSLY TREATED BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to sealing arrangements for pressurized gas or vapour containers for continuous treatment of material webs, in particular textile webs, which containers are-of the kind having a main roller disposed adjacent to the exit or downstream of the inlet aperture.

Lip seal heads are known for sealing containers of the kind referred to, the webs of material being drawn through the lip seal heads", but this results in a relatively strong pull being applied to the material.

Also known are roller seal headsoperatingin the manner of roller squeeze apparatus. These have not achieved any significance in practical operation since the endface sealing of the rollers involves diffIculties.

The present invention pertains to a sealing means which includes a main roller having a portion of its cy-' lindrical area positioned adjacent to anaperture in a tank which holds a fluid (either liquid or vapor) which is to be applied to a web of material as it passes through the tank and over the main roller. An endless elastic sealing strip is positioned on the main roller and surrounds the aperture, providing a fluid seal. The sealing strip is held in position by a cylind'rical'channel which 2 One embodiment of the sealing arrangement according to the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is an end view of the sealing means, in section, and, I

FIG. 2 is a front view of the sealing means,

DESCRIPTION OF'THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The material web 1 is guided in the direction'of the arrow 2 through the liquid bath 3 of a fluid chamber 4, and is guided therein around a reversing roller or cylinder 5 to a main roller 6 which is rotated by a shaft 9 in the direction of the arrow 7, viz., clockwise. The angle of wrap a of the web on roller 6 provides a good feed for the web in the direction of arrow 8. The roller 6 is mounted in a pressurized container in whose wall 19 an inlet aperture for the web is formed.

On the side adjacent to the roller 6, the fluid chamber 4 is provided with an aperture which is shorter than the width of the roller 6 and on whose edges a rig-id trough shaped hood ll of part-circular cross section is is secured to the tank. Additional rollers may be used to enter the material into the tank and reverse its direction.

The invention also provides a sealing arrangement for a pressurized gas or vapour container of the kind referred to, comprising an endless elastic seal strip having longitudinal portions extending in the longitudinal Preferably the seal strip is disposed on an intrinsically stiff hood extending approximately over the length of the main roller, the web of material being guided through the interior of said hood.

Since the ends of the two longitudinal portions of the elastic seal strip and of the hood are joined to each other by U-shaped end portions and the said end portions are parallel to the curved surface of the roller, the hood ends and the curved portions of the seal strip will follow a three-dimensional curve.

Preferably the interior space of the hood merges into a condensation chamber disposed upstream or downstream of the container inlet or exit, respectively. The upper or lower longitudinal seal strip portion is preferably disposed within the angle of wrap of the web around the roller. p v

The roller may be adjustable towards and away from the hood.

mounted in gas tight manner. The hood 11 is provided along its edge with a-channel 12, having portions 13, '14 parallel to the shaft 9, and two arcuate end portions 15 which join the endsof the two portions 13, 14. The said end portions, of which only the left hand one is visible in FIG. 2, follow a three dimensional curve owing to their U-shape on the one hand and their arrangement I parallel to the main roller surface on the other hand.

The hood 11 forms a middle shield 16, having a longitudinal aperture 17 through which the material web 1 passes. An endless elastic seal strip 18 is fitted into the edge channel 12; it has an upper straight portion 18a which bears on the web, and'a lower straight portion 18a and curbed ends 18b on the roller 6.

The hood 11 is preferably so constructed that the upper straight portion" 18a of the strip 18 bears upon the web 1 within the extent of theangle of wrapla. However, the hood may be extended and the strip 18 displaced as indicated by the positions shown in broken lines of the channel portion 14a and of the'seal strip portion l8a'. Thus it will be seen that the edge of the hood 11 need not be disposed at the longitudinal edges of the aperture 10.

The contents of the chamber 4 are sealedby the seal strip 18 relative to the interior 20, def ned by the wall 19, of the pressurized container.

The main roller 6 may be adjusted in the direction of the double arrow K in order to alter the sealing pres sure, if the pressure in the interior 20'of thecontainer, acting in the direction ofthe single arrow L on the cylinder 6, is not already exerting a force on the said cylinder which corresponds. to a change of the aforementioned pressure. I v

- The sealing strip 18 may bemade of any flexible material but it has been found that soft rubber arid polytetrafluoroethylene Teflon give superior results.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege are defined as follows:

1. A sealing arrangement for a fluid tank which seals the joints between a tank aperture and a main roller surface comprising; an endless channel secured tothe edge of the tank aperture and formed with a semicylindrical interior surfaceya main roller positioned adjacent tothe tank aperture for engaging a web of material to draw it through the tank aperture; said main roller being positioned in a closed housing having a pressure higher than the pressure in the fluid tank; and an endless flexible cylindrical sealing strip held by the channel and engaging the surface of the main roller to form a fluid seal; said sealing strip adapted to pass a web of material between the strip and the main roller surface when leaving the tank.

2. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein a reversing roller is positioned in the fluid tank for directing a web of material into the tank and then toward the aperture and the main roller.

3. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said sealing strip is formed with a circular cross section.

4. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said sealing strip is made of rubber.

5. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said sealing strip is made of polytetrafluoroethylene. 1

6. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1- wherein said sealing strip is cemented to the inner surface of the channel.

7. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the sealing strip is disposed on a rigid hood extending approximately over the length of the roller, the path of the web of material extending through the interior space of said hood.

8. A sealing arrangement according to claim 7 wherein the interior space of the hood merges with a condensation chamber disposed upstream of the inlet to or downstream of the exit of the 'closed housing.

9. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the roller is adjustable towards and away from the hood.

10. A sealing arrangement for a fluid tank which seals the joints between a tank aperture and a main roller surface comprising; an endless channel secured to the edge of the tank aperture and formed with a semicylindrical interior surface; a main roller positioned ad- 5 jacent to the tank aperture for engaging a web of material to draw it through the tank aperture; and an endless flexible cylindrical sealing strip held by the channel and engaging the surface of the main roller to form a fluid seal; said sealing strip being of circular cross section Y and adapted to pass a web of material between the strip and the main roller surface when leaving the tank.

11. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein a reversing roller is positioned in the fluid tank for directing a web of material into the tank and then toward the aperture and the main roller.

12. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein said sealing strip is made of rubber.

13. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein said sealing strip is made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

14. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein said sealing strip is cemented to the inner surface of the channel.

15. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein the sealing strip is disposed on a rigid hood extending approximately over the length of the roller, the path of the web of material extending through the interior space of said hood. i

16. A sealing arrangement according to claim 15 wherein the interior space of the hood merges with a condensation chamber disposed upstream of the inlet to or downstream of the exit of the closed housing.

17. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein the roller is adjustable towards and away from the hood. 

1. A sealing arrangement for a fluid tank which seals the joints between a tank aperture and a main roller surface comprising; an endless channel secured to the edge of the tank aperture and formed with a semi-cylindrical interior surface; a main roller positioned adjacent to the tank aperture for engaging a web of material to draw it through the tank aperture; said main roller being positioned in a closed housing having a pressure higher than the pressure in the fluid tank; and an endless flexible cylindrical sealing strip held by the channel and engaging the surface of the main roller to form a fluid seal; said sealing strip adapted to pass a web of material between the strip and the main roller surface when leaving the tank.
 2. A Sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein a reversing roller is positioned in the fluid tank for directing a web of material into the tank and then toward the aperture and the main roller.
 3. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said sealing strip is formed with a circular cross section.
 4. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said sealing strip is made of rubber.
 5. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said sealing strip is made of polytetrafluoroethylene.
 6. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said sealing strip is cemented to the inner surface of the channel.
 7. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the sealing strip is disposed on a rigid hood extending approximately over the length of the roller, the path of the web of material extending through the interior space of said hood.
 8. A sealing arrangement according to claim 7 wherein the interior space of the hood merges with a condensation chamber disposed upstream of the inlet to or downstream of the exit of the closed housing.
 9. A sealing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the roller is adjustable towards and away from the hood.
 10. A sealing arrangement for a fluid tank which seals the joints between a tank aperture and a main roller surface comprising; an endless channel secured to the edge of the tank aperture and formed with a semi-cylindrical interior surface; a main roller positioned adjacent to the tank aperture for engaging a web of material to draw it through the tank aperture; and an endless flexible cylindrical sealing strip held by the channel and engaging the surface of the main roller to form a fluid seal; said sealing strip being of circular cross-section and adapted to pass a web of material between the strip and the main roller surface when leaving the tank.
 11. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein a reversing roller is positioned in the fluid tank for directing a web of material into the tank and then toward the aperture and the main roller.
 12. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein said sealing strip is made of rubber.
 13. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein said sealing strip is made of polytetrafluoroethylene.
 14. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein said sealing strip is cemented to the inner surface of the channel.
 15. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein the sealing strip is disposed on a rigid hood extending approximately over the length of the roller, the path of the web of material extending through the interior space of said hood.
 16. A sealing arrangement according to claim 15 wherein the interior space of the hood merges with a condensation chamber disposed upstream of the inlet to or downstream of the exit of the closed housing.
 17. A sealing arrangement according to claim 10 wherein the roller is adjustable towards and away from the hood. 